Thursday, April 30, 2009

As a rule, every college campus should always have a good coffehouse close by. Sure almost all campuses have coffeehouses near, but it is a rare sight to walk off the University property and in a few short steps, find yourself in a coffee establishment that knows how to pull espresso and serve quality coffee (it's even rarer to find such good coffee on the campus, but that's another rant).

Yet this dilemma does not exist at the University of Washington where Zoka Coffee Roaster and Tea Company has a location right near campus beneath what seemed to be student housing (fortunate souls). The cafe itself is bohemoth, stretching longer than a tour bus and as wide as six team of oxen. The exterior holds basic but inside, the cafe has a nice wood and white theme complete with fireplace in the back, not to mention enough seats to sit the population of Oz (most of the seats were full when I stopped in).

Zoka of course roasts their own coffee, having a famed reputation as one of Seattle's finest. The brew I ingested this particular visit was their Costa Rican, a nice light coffee with hints of bran, cocoa and molasses. The espresso came out wonderfully (due to skilled hands I'm sure), with a pair of short velvety shots that relayed a nice zest and notes of chocolate cake and a touch of honey. The tea is free leaf of their own.

As I sat and finished my espresso, I really felt envious for the many students working so diligently. Not only did they have a mammoth, stylish place to do work and meet with people, but more importantly they can get a real decent cup of coffee without a small road trip. How I wish I had such fortunes when I was a school boy.

Whether you're at the University Zoka location or one of the others, make sure to give Zoka a stop if you're in town.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

While I hardly visit the Hudson river and its many beautiful landscapes, I really do enjoy traversing the breathless vistas. It really makes you understand the lament that many Hudson River Schoolers had about the development that really overtook the area (I'm sure it was a billion times more gorgeous pre-development).

But after a nice dose of nature, my tongue began cramping for a spot of coffee. Fortunately, I had a spot nearby slotted for a visit called the Black Cow Coffee Company. The BCCC sits in a strip mall with not too much outside save their big sign and a one way parking lot. Within, the shop has a very agrarian look with all kinds of rustic furniture and other interesting rural pieces.

The Black Cow roasts its own coffee, with a bunch of different single origins and blends. I had their Mud blend via drip, which manifested a bright cup with samples of tobacco and apple; a good cup but a little bland as well. The espresso was presented as a short/medium pull with flavors of dark chocolate in front and hints of pineapple following, but there was also a noticeable amount of bitter char on the end. The tea is Republic of Tea.

Having quenched my appetite for a decent coffee, I made my way off to the cliffs overlooking the Hudson river (pictures of course). If you happen to be in the area either admiring the sights or just passing through, give the Black Cow a visit.

Since I'm not a big fan of mints or gum, and carrying the ol' toothbrush around doesn't work either, I really get excited when other options present themselves.

Recently, I had an opportunity to try out the Colgate Wisps (disposable little toothbrushes with the toothpaste infused) and while they were nothing compared to real brushing, it did help cleanse my mouth of its many microbial trespassers.

Thus if you're not all that into sugary solutions, the Wisp might be your answer.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

In my travels, Vancouver has thus far been my favorite Canadian city. The beautiful mountains shadowing the large metropolis really brings the best of the city to the prisitine wonder of the wild. From also what I understand, the weather also rarely gets too unbearable (it was relatively beautiful when I visited) and the culture has all sorts of facets to it.

But for me, the best part of Vancouver was the coffee (shocker!). As Seattle's Canadian neighbor, the city has in many ways distinguished itself quite noticeably in the coffee and espresso scene. Of the many places I wished to visit, the one at the top of my list was 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters' showcase cafe on W 4th Avenue. I had the fortune of imbibing their coffee in a couple other locations, all of which proved lovely, so to visit the mother ship gave me something to really look forward to.

Walking down the street on a lovely early spring day, I first beheld the cafe after I had nearly stumbled over it (the shops were close and much of the neighboring signage was quite loud). Stepping past their nice metal outside seating and retractable awning, I walked into their beautifully decorated shop with its vaulted ceilings plus their trademark blue and brown color scheme. I also want to note that this was probably the first cafe that I've seen more than a few employees working at the same time (I remember it numbering over 6!).

Getting straight to the coffee, I ordered 49th's Costa Rica via their Clover. The brew turned out wonderful, with an even-balanced, bright cup with hints of currants. The espresso also came out blissfully well, with a nice balance of sweetness and even a touch of saltiness, overshadowed with a wave of chocolate. The tea is free leaf of their own.

Given my lofty impressions of 49th Parallel Coffee and of Vancouver, I definitely left with an utter satisfaction of a good experience. If you're ever in town, definitely pop by 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Tourism purely for gastronomic reasons has become more and more popular. Sure people have always gone to places "for the food" but now the food has even eclipsed traditional tourist spots. Why bother with the Eiffel Tower when you can do a Parisian culinary crawl?

While I am not at the level of gastro-tourism to cut out my inedible touristy stops, I do like to make sure to see local spots that garner much praise. In my trip to LA, I made quite a few (including a stop at the famous Pink's Hot Dogs and an authentic buritto joint, El Tepeyac Cafe) but my last one to a cash-only Italian eatery in the area of Eagle Rock didn't work out so well and hence, I was left scrambling for a good meal off the cuff.

I drove all over Eagle Rock and didn't see anything appealing (I know I overlooked something good) and so I decided to just put my dinner on hold and for the time being, just grab some coffee at local coffeehouse, Swork Coffee.

Located on a corner in what seemed to be close to the center of town, Swork Coffee has a very intriguing look to it, with it's question mark logo and what looked like a Scandanavian influence in decor. The outside has a nice mix of outside seating with big red umbrellas, while the inside is a nice mix of foxy furniture and even a kid-friendly room.

Swork roasts their own coffee, some with pretty interesting names. I had the Clubhouse, their house blend, which tasted nutty, earthy and bright though also a little stale. The espresso was pulled to a medium volume and had a nice graham crackery taste and tinges of cocoa, yet also had a little bit of a dark bite on the end. The tea is loose leaf.

The stop at Swork ended up decent but it would have been a stop better suited for post-dinner. Looking back, I wish I had just tried a local place as I just ended up settling for a Cheesecake Factory appetizer much later that evening that proved filling, but nothing tremendous.

Anywho, if you're in Eagle Rock looking for a decent coffee, give Swork Coffee a stop.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

It proves very hard finding something when the name changes and you miss the transition. My most recent encounter with this issue happened in the northern part of Seattle when I was looking for a place called Hotwire Coffee, but fortunately I had a flash of intuition, stopped anyway and found that this past Hotwire location had now become Laughing Ladies Cafe.

The cafe sits on a big cement patio with some outside seating and a very large access ramp. The interior is a colorful cafe with all kinds of furniture, nice high ceilings and computers for patrons to use. The coffee comes from nearby 7 Coffee Roasters; I had the Guatemalan, a smooth coffee with traces of pear and fig (i.e. a decent coffee). The espresso proved mostly agreeable, as it was pulled to a medium volume and had flavors of bittersweet cocoa and sadly, a bit of a burnt tinge on the end. The tea is Teahouse Kuan Yin and Mighty Leaf.

While I had originally expected a different place, I felt that Laughing Ladies did a pretty good job living up to what I had indirectly expected. If you're north of downtown, give the place a try.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

What a better way to start off the day then with a gloriously rich coffee? Let's forget the caffeine aspect; if your coffee doesn't make your eyes roll into the back of your head in ecstasy, then you have either been woefully misled or you're stuck somewhere unable to get a decent cup (my deepest sorrows are with those of you in the latter category).

But for the rest of you able to get your hands on coffee via delivery, my recommendation currently would be PT's Coffee's Ethiopia Sidamo. I just had the luxury of sampling this coffee via french press, vacuum press and drip; each one holding a flavor greatly abundant. Ground, the coffee is rich of all kinds of aromas but the most distinct was the overwhelming flares of blueberry. The vacuum press confirmed the aromas as it hit like a blueberry sledge hammer, complimenting with a nice acidity and a luscious merlot taste on the back. The french press produced similar accents of berries, with hints of a nice brightness and overall smooth taste. The drip had a bit more of a subdued tastes with some cocoa flavors popping out as well as a stronger presence of the merlot.

While I doubt many of you who are reading this frequently ingest bad coffee, if it does happen to be you who sucks the bad black water, I would at the very least recommend treating your tongue one time to such a good coffee as PT's Ethiopia Sidamo.

Wednesday, April 08, 2009

Over the years, I have ingested many a single origin coffee and thus far, I've had great coffee from most major coffee-producing countries. But no area of the world has continually amazed me as the east Africa region.

PT's Coffee recently threw me their Kenya AA Ndaro-Ini to try out and having high expectations as it got a 92 from Coffee Review, I looked forward to trying it out. After grinding, I wafted strong scents of berry and other fruit. I proceeded to sample it via french press, vacuum press and drip. The french press produced a gloriously bright cup, full of raspberry and tangerine, a nice acidity and finished with a natural sugar cane. The vacuum press held a light cup with a little more of an earthy depth and a strong sweetness on the end. The drip, though also similar, produced less complexity but still a strong presence of tart fruit and a sweet finish. All together, my expectations were strongly embraced.

If you're looking for a great direct trade coffee from Kenya, give PT's Coffee's Kenya AA Ndaro-Ini a slurp.

Sunday, April 05, 2009

'Recently received a few emails about Got Milk's new campaign utilizing the recipes of industry baristas for lattes and other coffee-related drinks. The motivation, though obvious, makes a lot of sense and makes drinking your milk even more fun!

If you can't look at the above link (due to Flash restrictions), check out the simple HTML version.

Friday, April 03, 2009

Romping around LA proved not as troublesome as I thought. Sure there was traffic at times and sure parking wasn't easy, but compared to other cities, it was quite refreshing.

One beautiful example of travel made easy was a stop made at an LA coffeehouse called Cafe Corsa. Located in a section of the city with mostly metered parking, the cafe sits in a brick shopping center with short-term parking.

The venue itself possesses a cozy look, with a few nice seating areas in the front and along the side. The coffee comes from two roasters: Intelligentsia and Oregon Coast Roasters. I had the Sumatra from Oregon Coast Roasters on their Clover, which ended up a little darker than I like, with a real strong oily presence, but still had some mild brightness and a light cherry tang. The espresso was fair, with a strong bitter sweetness on the front and an unattractive charcoal bite on the back. I did not note the tea.

While the experience didn't prove as great as the convenience, I think that had I gone with the Intelligentsia options, I might have had better fortunes (Oregon Coast Coffee seems to be a roaster of dark coffees).

If you're in the neighborhood needing a quick stop for decent coffee, give Cafe Corsa a stop.